This is a continuation of research that began in 1958 with the demonstration of pattern vision during the early months of life, and then in newborn and premature infants, and has since shown form of contour discriminations by newborns as well as a variety of form discriminations and selectivities by infants after two months of age. However, retardation in Down's Syndrome infants has indicated a cognitive relationship, verified by neonatal prediction of later mental retardation from visual testing of high-risk infants. Preliminary results based on direct observation of the response indicate that already near the time of birth, infants born two months before term have pattern vision capacity. The present proposal therefore concentrates on verifying and extending those results with the use of electrooculographic and photographic techniques. Additional measures of selective attention at early ages, such as heart rate, sucking, and activity level will be used. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: Miranda, S.B. Visual attention in defective & high risk infants. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 3, 1976. Fantz, R. L. & Miranda, S. B. Visual processing in the newborn, preterm & mentally high risk infant. Proceedings, Johnson & Johnson Symposium on Intrauterine Asphyxia & the Developing Fetal Brain, San Diego, Sept. 1976, in press.